Something Scary: Horror Elements that Frighten Me

Being scared for fun is a blast, if you know you’re in a safe spot and not actually in danger. That’s the appeal of horror, after all! In this article, I’ll explore what tickles my fancy and puts a shiver down my spine. Remember, horror is subjective, so what scares me may not move you at all, and vice versa.

(1) Appearing out of nowhere

I admit, I can be a bit jumpy. It’s a fun game my lover and I play, where I am too engrossed in something and he just appears behind me because he made no sound approaching. Jump out of my skin every time! Also think I’ve jumped at my own shadow more than once… you know, I’m a super jumpy person. But jump scares can be fun and effective to a point. They are great in real life, like haunted houses or little (agreed upon) pranks between friends.

With stuff like this, though, it can be unpleasant sometimes. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but a content warning of a jumpscare is really nice. For me, it doesn’t ‘ruin it’. When I can mentally prepare, it’s actually fun.

(2) Loud noises

I feel like the older I’ve gotten, the less I like loud noises. I may like concerts still, but sudden loud noises get me and make me jump. However, when I’m prepped for it, it’s awesome. Things like “Kane Pixel”‘s videos on the backrooms are effective for that. Loud, metallic screeching, and such like that. I know I jump at the icemaker from time to time…after many years of hearing it. Apparently, I never learn. Anyway, you want to be careful with overuse of loud noises, just like jumpscares. They seem to fall in the same category of fear-type.

(3) Distorted faces

Something a bit less straightforward that gets me are distorted faces. I will get more into elongated ones in another article, but distortion in general is offputting. May be an ingrained fear. I know it’s used in analog horror a lot (yet another topic I will cover sometime) and some take it less seriously, but it’s all subjective. It really does get me, though of course it has to be done the right way. Due to suspension of disbelief, even an obviously edited one can (Sometimes) get me.

(4) Uncanny valley

Same situation as distorted faces. I love the uncanny valley, when something looks not quite right, be it close to human or something like that. The teddy bear with human teeth thing. This can be used in sound, too, where a song may not sound quite right. Bits of it being backwards, for example. But the whole ‘not quite right’ aspect is a lot of fun. How far can you push something until it enters the uncanny valley?

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Just a short article to give tidbits on what can get me sometimes, either of shock or creepiness. It’s a subject that could be dived into far deeper at some point, but sometimes short and simple steals the cake!